My nephew Joey was part of the First Marine Division that invaded Iraq. Although he did not come back in a body bag, he suffered the aftereffects of an experience that led him to die one morning on I-25.
Joey was part of a 177,194 (130,000 American) coalition force that went to war with Iraq on March 20, 2003. The war was declared a victory on May 1st by President George W. Bush aboard the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of California.
Then the real military difficulties began as the relatively small force used for the invasion was not enough to hold the country or stop the violence that followed. An example of this were the house to house battles that began a year later in Fullujah that required a surge in troops just to bring some measure of control of the Sunni city.
After 19 years and 4,431 dead we are still in Iraq trying to figure out how to get out without disestablishing the country and the surrounding regions. President Biden quit Afghanistan with an immediate evacuation of all American presence, but has not done the same with Iraq.
Russia finds itself in the same position militarily as the United States and its partners at the beginning of the Iraqi invasion. A relatively small force of less than 200,000 is attempting to conquer Ukraine with advanced weapons and technology that may very well facilitate the invasion, but the aftermath is another thing.
Of the 11 countries that border Russia, 6 (Finland, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China) have histories that render them somewhat less threatening to the Putin-led country. Three (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are part of NATO and pose a territorial danger that is harder to define because of the alliance. The other 2 (Ukraine and Georgia) are prime targets for Russian imperial ambitions because they are trending away from the Russian line and stand alone in their quest. President Putin in his ambition to recreate the old Soviet Empire has already taken pieces of these countries and expects to take more or at least create regime changes to his liking. He is doing it again in Ukraine. The goal appears to be to take the capital and use it to pro- mote a change of government to his liking.
Both the United States (2001-2021) and the Soviet Union (1979-1989) tried to do just that in Afghanistan and failed. The invasion of Ukraine does not offer better prospects for the Russians because the major challenge is in governing a country that has well organized democratic institutions and a world coalition of countries that are supporting its resistance with arms, money and other resources.
There is a question of whether Russia intends to take all of the country or just the parts Putin needs to accomplish his goals. The unexpected defense put up by the Ukrainian army and the subsequent militant citizen guerrilla actions will create a great number of Russian casualties and require a much larger occupation force.
The Ukrainian people will not allow the criminal behavior of the Russian leadership to stand without a challenge. That challenge is costing many lives on both sides as well as the standing of the Russian bear that does not know when to quit. The body bags brought back from the front will bear testimony to the ill-founded adventure of a man that seeks to have things as they were. We in America are well acquainted with the tendency and its price.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of la Voz bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to news@lavozcolorado.com.
